Bio/Overview: Bado-Aleman is currently the English Department Resource Teacher at Gaithersburg High School. She spent her K-12 student career in Catholic schools, but has spent her professional teaching career in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) System in Maryland. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from The University of Maryland at College Park and taught English for several years at Gaithersburg High School. She later became a Staff Development Content Specialist in Secondary English for MCPS, training middle and high school English teachers for improved curriculum implementation and instructional delivery.

Educational Values/Philosophy: From a personal and philosophical standpoint, Bado-Aleman recognizes the social and economic opportunities afforded to the individual through education, particularly in terms of literacy and writing ability, and the disparities that exist for subgroups of students within educational systems, especially since her parents are Hispanic immigrants. As such, she is a committed classroom teacher who is passionate in her conviction that all students can achieve and her belief that a professional, able, and dedicated teacher is at the heart of effective educational improvement. Her research and practice have centered on ways in which to support all students, particularly underperforming and underrepresented groups, toward academic success and college and career readiness so as to eliminate the achievement gap.

Achievements: Bado-Aleman is a National Board Certified Teacher, earning the distinction in the area of English Language Arts for Adolescence/Young Adulthood in 2011, the same year she had her first child. In 2007, Bado-Aleman was named the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards Teacher of the Year for the Washington, D.C. regional area, nominated by one of her students. She has been featured in various MCPS system trainings and materials, including a training video and webinar for principals and teachers of AP classes regarding strategies for supporting minority students’ participation and performance in AP courses.

Leadership Experience: Bado-Aleman has acted as a national advocate for the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards fund, worked as a mentor teacher and trainer in various capacities, and served as a reviewer for the Maryland State Department of Education High School Assessment Passage Review Committee. She has also presented at the College Board Advanced Placement Conference in the Equity and Access strand. Bado-Aleman has worked as a Staff Development Content Specialist for MCPS, developing and facilitating curriculum and related leadership trainings for secondary English teachers and supervising administrators and directors, and has been a member of the MCPS Workgroup for Advanced Placement Participation and Performance, as well as chaired her school’s AP Workgroup. She has been a member of various other county workgroups, including the High School Collaborative Council, Next Generation Data Warehouse Project Team, and Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Committee for the Middle School Integrated Reforms Initiatives Project Team. Bado-Aleman is currently an English Department Resource Teacher for a team of over 20 teachers and support staff and is a member of the School’s Instructional Leadership Team, which develops, implements, and monitors the school’s improvement plan.

Affiliations: National Council of Teachers of English, Montgomery County Education Association, National Education Association, Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards, University of Maryland Alumni Association

Education: Bado-Aleman completed her Bachelor of the Arts degree at the University of Maryland, College Park with a double major in Secondary English Education and British and American Literature, and a citation from the University Honors Program. She went on to earn a Master of the Arts degree, also from the University of Maryland, College Park, in Secondary English Education with a focus on Rhetoric and Composition. Her research and thesis centered on explicit writing instruction and supporting strategies for underperforming students. She has also attained a Graduate Certificate in Professional Teaching Standards from The George Washington University, focusing on School Reform through Professional Improvement.